


The Lion Walks Softly

by Nuke



Category: Fallout (Video Games)
Genre: nothing outside the realm of what you should expect from a Fallout fanfic, there will be occasional violence and Revy says fuck words but like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:26:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29124135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nuke/pseuds/Nuke
Summary: Thousands of miles from her home, Revy finds herself in a ruthless desert filled with new threats of all kinds. If she's lucky, maybe she'll also find some allies. She just hopes they won't slow her down, as she's got a mission to complete.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	The Lion Walks Softly

The world looked different on the other side of the mountains. Of course everything had been burned to a crisp so long ago, but this place seemed like it had always looked like that. With everything being made of only sand and dirt, it was a miracle that anything had  _ever_ lived there.

And very soon, it got hotter than Revy could take. The heat was worse than the sun to her; sunlight just made more of her freckles come out, and she seemed immune to getting burned. But the heat made her slice her jeans apart with her knife, until they were shorts. Barely shorts. Shorts her father would have certainly commented on - for safety's sake, surely. But she could only shrug at the imaginary version of her father inside her head and think, well, it's fucking  _hot_ out.

Going it alone was the hardest part for her. She was used to always having at least Giskard by her side, but he had turned back to the Commonwealth somewhere around what used to be West Virginia. She missed the mathematically perfect rhythm of his metal footfalls walking beside her. And even though he never said anything, she knew he was always listening, maybe even a little deeper than she realized. It was a companionship she'd never be able to replace.

_But I'll see him when I get back,_ she told herself.  _Whenever I'm done with all this shit out here._

The reality was that a long time had passed since she had truly been alone. The last time was after her first parents were killed, when she spent her days huddled in a dilapidated shack in a tiny settlement where everyone was afraid of her. People threw food at her through the door and shut it immediately after. She couldn't blame them, though. After all, she returned their attempts at kindness with knife-wielding charges.

That was all so far in her past that it barely felt like a memory, but her current situation dragged her back to it. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had forgotten what it felt like, but she knew she really  _hated_ being alone.

The creatures she encountered out in the desert didn't really strike her as the "companion" type. There were a good few things she couldn't put names to, but she sure recognized the deathclaws. They looked a bit different, but acted just as nasty. She avoided them when she could, which wasn't always. These western ones were a bit faster, and a bit harder to kill. But they were still mortal.

But most of the inhabitants of the desert left her alone. The strange hissing dogs would keep their distance, but she could hear their yapping howls echoing through the cliffs at night. Anything resembling the giant bugs back home... well, she took a proactive approach and headed in the opposite direction.

The sky looked the same to her. She could point out the same stars her mother named for her so many years ago, and they helped ground her despite being so far away. One called Arcturus, which her mother was fond of, became like a companion to her. Its brightness comforted her and reminded her of being home, hearing the stories her parents would tell her about their lives and the things they'd seen.

Eventually, she had to leave even the stars behind. She had no idea how much time she had spent walking, and had long given up counting the days. Everything looked the same, and it made her vision blur just to think about it.

And then she came to the canyon. It was an incredible expanse, and to someone less exhausted, it probably would have inspired awe.

But she'd seen quite enough. To Revy, it was just another  _thing_ to get by. More cliffs to climb while barely aware of what her hands grabbed at. Another obstacle in her way, even if it lasted longer than most of them.

The land was dry under her boots and her calloused hands. The rocks were either too smoothed from years of erosion to hold on to, or too jagged to grip without drawing blood. In the deeper parts of the canyon, the wind whipped her exposed skin and kept her hair perpetually in her face. In frustration, she pulled down her goggles, finally sick of getting sand in her eyes. 

After almost an entire day, the canyon was behind her. It went quick than she expected; the distant roar of unidentified threats kept her moving. 

When she pulled herself up over the far edge of it, she felt a coldness in her chest. She was sure it was symbolic, and tried to ignore how much it felt like the holotags around her neck had caused it. 

Nevertheless, she gently gripped the metal through her vest as she walked on. Feeling silly about it, she wondered to herself if she was truly alone after all.


End file.
